Chapter 1

"Miss, are you here for the Moon-Bond Ceremony?"

I sat in the waiting area of the Pack Council Hall, my inner wolf curled up in misery.

Happy couples passed by, their wolves practically purring with contentment. But as an Omega, I was used to being invisible.

I glanced at my phone again, Sarah's taunting message burning into my mind: "Don't waste your time waiting at the Council Hall. Alpha Liam would never publicly claim an Omega as his mate. He knows where he truly belongs."

"The Sacred Circle will close soon..." the Beta clerk's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through my chest, bringing me to my knees without warning.

Our fated mate bond, the one I'd shared with Liam for seven years, now felt like a poison-laced blade, cutting me apart from within.

No. This couldn't be happening.

My wolf's anguished howl of denial turned savage as we felt him marking another. The betrayal burned through our bond like poison, leaving no room for desperate hopes. Liam was marking Sarah, completing the sacred ritual that should have been mine.

Seven years of love, countless promises whispered under starlit skies, reduced to nothing in this moment.

I bit my lip hard, forcing myself to stand. My fingers curled into fists at my sides, nails digging deep into my palms, exchanging that pain for a moment of clarity.

I choked back a bitter laugh. "No need to worry about the ceremony. My... my mate is otherwise occupied."

I fled the hall, unable to bear the sympathetic looks from the other wolves. Just three months ago - just yesterday - just this morning even, he'd been ecstatic about our bonding ceremony.

He pulled me close during our breakfast, nuzzling my neck as he whispered, "Tonight, I can finally protect you openly. No more hiding in shadows."

His kiss then had been so tender, so full of promise.

His words echoed mockingly now, bringing back every secret moment we'd shared. Each memorbidden, salt in fresh wounds:

Liam teaching me to control my wolf during full moons,

Liam sneaking away from Alpha duties to run with me under silver-bright skies, just the two of us in the forbidden forests where we could be truly ourselves,

Liam secretly leaving frost fire lilies at my cottage door on my birthday - rare flowers that grew along the edges of the frozen northern cliffs.

...

What a fool I had been. It was all a mirage, a cruel illusion, leaving me standing alone like an omega without a pack.

I cannot believe seven years of love could end like this. Not without answers. Not without explanation.

As twilight deepened into night, I wiped my tears and tried to compose myself. I had to see Liam. My wolf, though wounded, stirred within me – pushing me forward, demanding answers.

I ran to his chambers, my heart pounding against my ribs. The door was partially open, and I could hear Liam's voice along with his Beta, Mark.

"So, Sarah and I completed the marking today..."

My stomach dropped. The last shred of hope I'd clung to, the naive belief that it was all a bad dream, evaporated like morning mist.

"Sarah? By the Moon Goddess, what have you done? I thought you and Ava were fated mates! What's with the sudden bonding to Sarah?" Mark's voice boomed through the room.

Liam's sigh carried the weight of resignation. "Sarah revealed she's under the Blood Curse. She doesn't have much time unless a pure Alpha marks her. She broke down, begged me to save her life."

"She pleaded with me. I couldn't say no. You know how much..."

"I've loved her since we were pups."

Those words pierced through me like silver, stealing my breath away. You've loved her since childhood?

What about our seven years, Liam? What about our fated mate bond?

Tears blurred my vision. My whole body trembled with the cold sting of betrayal.

"Liam, you've lost your mind!" Mark's angry voice cut through the silence. Then, in a low growl, "Have you forgotten who Ava is to you? She's your fated mate! She is the real Luna of our pack!"

"By the Moon Goddess, do you have any idea what marking another does to a fated bond?"

I waited, my breath caught in my throat, hoping for a flicker of remorse. Instead, I heard Liam's self-righteous response: "If I'm saving Sarah's life, I'm going to do it properly. She deserves a real mate bond, not some half-hearted marking. I won't have her feeling like she's second best, not when she's dying."

The words crashed over me like a tidal wave. Liam had loved Sarah since they were pups.

Why did you even bother with me then?

"What about Ava? Did you even think about what this would do to her? She's probably still at the Council Hall, waiting for you!" Mark's voice was tight with suppressed fury.

I held my breath, listening intently.

Liam's voice, when he spoke, was firm, resolute. "I've protected her for seven years. She knew what it meant to be with the future Alpha. She promised to understand, no matter what."

"Besides, she's just an Omega. Where else would she go?"

Chapter 2

The callousness in his voice shattered something inside me. I don't know how I left his chambers.

I stumbled through the pack grounds, Liam's words echoed in my mind: "I've loved Sarah since we were pups."

Since you were pups? But you swore you'd never mark anyone but me. Seven years ago, you stood beneath my cottage window night after night, telling me to trust you, to be yours. You took me to every sacred site in pack territory, whispering promises of eternal love. Did you think of Sarah then, when you first discovered our fated mate bond?

Every loving memory morphed into a blade, twisting inside me. And the person wielding the knife... was my destined mate.

The moon rose full and bright, casting silver light across the territory.

My fingers instinctively curled around my mother's ring - a habit born from years of seeking comfort in her last gift to me. The ring on my finger grew colder still, almost burning with its chill.

My mother's last words echoed in my memory: "This ring will protect you, my darling. It will bless you and your fated mate together, forever."

‘Are you lying to me, Mother?’

The sky opened up, unleashing a torrential downpour as if the Moon Goddess herself wept for my broken bond.

I don't know how long I stood there, numb and defeated. Suddenly, I caught his scent on the wind - pine and winter, now tainted with honeysuckle. A pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind.

"What are you doing out here in the storm? You'll catch sickness!" His voice carried the authority of an Alpha heir, but there was worry underneath.

I looked up to see Liam's concerned face, his golden Alpha eyes scanning me. He pulled me closer, trying to shield me from the rain with his larger frame. "Come on, let's get you inside. You're freezing."

I wanted nothing more than to rewind time, to pretend none of this had ever happened. Instead, I shoved him away, my wolf snarling beneath my skin.

"How dare you show your face here? Leave me alone!" My voice carried the raw pain of a rejected mate.

Hot tears streamed down my face as my wolf clawed at my insides, desperate to either attack or submit. The rain couldn't compare to the icy emptiness where our mate bond used to be.

It was the first time I'd ever challenged him, my wolf fighting against years of ingrained submission.

He flinched, his Alpha presence wavering for a moment. His golden eyes flickered with confusion and hurt, the scent of his distress heavy in the air.

Seeing him like that fueled my anger. My hand connected with his face before I could stop myself, his Alpha instincts kicked in, and he grabbed my wrists, pulling me into a crushing embrace.

The familiar scent of pine and winter wind that used to comfort me now made my stomach turn - it was tainted with Sarah's honeysuckle perfume.

"Aria, please don't be angry. I'm so sorry, so sorry..." he murmured, his voice thick with unshed tears.

The storm raged around us, and for the first time in seven years, I felt his iron control slip, his wolf pushing close to the surface.

His apology, laced with genuine pain, should have softened the frozen knot in my chest. But the lingering scent of Sarah's marking ceremony on his skin only made it worse.

I couldn't bear another second of his voice, his scent, his presence –

My feet carried me run back to my cottage, I collapsed onto my bed, too exhausted to fight grief anymore, too drained to even cry.And I drifted off to a restless sleep.

In my dreams, I saw the man I fell in love with. He wore the ceremonial white robes of an Alpha heir, looking at me with such sincerity that it hurt. "Trust me, Aria," he whispered. "When I take over as Alpha, I'll change everything. I promise, you'll never have to hide in the shadows again."

His ears had turned red then, a rare show of vulnerability from a future Alpha. Seven years of believing those empty promises, of letting my wolf bond deeper with his.

But the scene shifted, and his eyes turned cold, gleaming Alpha red as he stood beside Sarah. "Please don't interfere. We've completed the mate bond. You're just an Omega - I don't love you anymore, Aria."

His words tore my heart to shreds, until a soft knock at my door pulled me from the nightmare, leaving behind only the familiar ache of betrayal and the ghost of his red-tinted gaze.

Chapter 3

We stood on opposite sides of the door, speaking in hushed tones - our old way of making up after fights, when neither of us could risk being seen together.

The bitter scent of wolfsbane cigarettes seeped through the cracks - Liam only smoked those when he was incredibly stressed.

"Aria, I know I messed up. I hurt you. But please, try to understand..." His voice was hoarse, thick with emotion but still carrying that stubborn Alpha command.

"Sarah and I... we grew up together in the Northern Packs. Our fathers always intended us to mate, to unite our territories. We share a history..."

"Even though we drifted apart, she's always been special to me. I can't let her die from the Blood Curse, not when I could save her."

"She's been cursed by the Goddess herself. The healers say she won't survive another full moon..."

The sound of his fist hitting the wall made me jump. His wolf was close to the surface - I could feel its anguish through the remnants of our bond.

"All she wants is to live, to experience a true mate bond before the curse takes her. How could I deny her that?"

"Aria, you have the kindest heart of any wolf I've known. I know you want to help save her life, right?"

"I know it hurts, but I know you understand. You always have."

"Once she's... gone... I'll make things right. We'll complete our bond, have pups, I'll make you my Luna, fulfill all my promises to you."

It was the life we'd dreamed of. Me as his Luna, raising our pups, strengthening the pack bonds while he led our territory to greatness. My only wish had been to be loved by him, to be his true mate despite my Omega status.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Through the door, I could hear Sarah's shaky voice.

"Sarah? Why are you crying?" His voice changed completely, Alpha command giving way to tender concern.

"The ceremonial robes? You want to try them on now? Of course, my love. Don't cry - I'm coming right away. I'll always be here for you."

"You'll be the most beautiful Luna our pack has ever seen. No one could compare to you, you know that, right?"

He grabbed his leather jacket, about to rush out. Then, he paused, turning back to my door. "Aria? Aria, you have to believe me. You're my fated mate, my true match. All this, it's just... it's for Sarah, just to keep her alive until the curse takes her, okay?"

"I'm terrified she'll lose hope, that she'll give up fighting the curse. Please, Aria. Wait for me, okay? I'll come back to you, we'll complete our true bond, I promise."

Silence fell between us like a wall of mountain ash.

I stared at the closed door, a humorless laugh escaping my lips. He'd just sworn eternal love to two different mates, breaking every sacred law of our pack.

My lips curled into a bitter smile as my wolf whimpered inside me. The pain in my chest was almost unbearable - the severed mate bond a raw, bleeding wound.

He claimed to love me most, yet he was willing to break our fated bond to make Sarah happy.

I heard the front door slam shut, felt him racing across the pack grounds through our fading connection.

As the echo of his footsteps faded, something inside me shattered completely.

A wave of despair so overwhelming crashed through my entire being that my legs gave out. I collapsed to the floor, my wolf's anguish tearing through my chest like molten silver. The pain was unlike anything I'd ever felt before - not just emotional, but physically devastating.

My vision blurred as the agony ripped through my body, the rejection of our severed bond feeling like my very soul was being shredded apart.

Seven years of love and trust crumbled into dust, the weight of betrayal crushing my lungs until I couldn't breathe. A metallic taste filled my mouth as blood spilled past my lips, dripping onto the wooden floor.

One crimson drop landed on my mother's ring, sliding down the silver band.

Then suddenly, something strange happened.

My mother's ring blazed to life with an intense blue light that filled the entire room.